Getting started in Software Engineering is a topic I see a lot of new graduates struggling with. While still working on my Undergraduate degree, I worked as a tutor at Saddleback Community College. I tutored Introduction and Advanced C++, and Data Structures. Stuff like Stacks, Heaps, Queues, Priority Queues, and pointer dereferencing and whatnot. The kind of stuff students really struggle with.

While working with the students on these advanced topics, I found that a lot of them had an even bigger question: What does this all have to do with actually getting a job? How is pointer arithmetic actually going to be used in a Junior Developer position? Shouldn’t I just be learning Web Development?

Well yes. But also no. But yes.

I noticed a lot of students were in a position where they were in a rush to make money. They didn’t see the value in learning the abstract concepts that they need to know to succeed. The cost of education doesn’t help with this. I am not going to get into politics (college is too expensive duh) but students really are in a tough position where they are being rushed to get jobs before they are ready.

This happened to me. I had to leave and find a job in order to pay for my degree. This led to me being very impulsive, brash, unable to listen, and very frustrated.

I printed out business cards. I made a company and got it registered with the county. I would go out to Coffee shops and approach random people on laptops. If they were coding, I would ask them if they needed a Software Engineer. I approached probably 100 in the real world before I landed a position as a Social Media manager for a company. I didn’t put this on my resume, but my first job was establishing a Facebook page and an application on Facebook.

This didn’t pay much, but it got my foot in the door, and I was able to use this work experience to land another job. Then later, I was able to go back to that same company and do Android and IOS applications. In the meanwhile, I completed my associate degrees in Math and Computer Science, and transferred to Cal State Monterey Bay, where I completed my bachelor’s degree with a 3.94 GPA.

The point is a lot of Software Engineers don’t realize that they also need to spend time learning the business side of things. They need to improve their social skills. I took some casual acting classes. A lot of writing classes. A lot of public speaking classes. All of these were critical to me landing a job.

Don’t think that just your performance in the classroom will land you a job, but also don’t think you can get by without completing your degree. When you complete a degree, it shows an employer that you are willing to put the time and stick with it. Also, your professors are a lot smarter than you think. They are much smarter than you. Coding bootcamps will land you a job, but completing your degree and eventually working on a master’s and PHD will solidify your ability to think critically. I am currently looking into completing my master’s and later my PHD.

It is a brutally hard industry to break into.

Seriously. You can’t sit with us. (That’s a joke.)